"I have a dog and two cats," she said. "Tenting required us to be out of the house for three days, and I wanted an environmentally safe alternative that would be better for our health.

"I had heard of heat treatment and freezing but was so confused as to which methods actually work."

Root, a publicist, agonized over the decision until August, when she finally had the wood in her home injected with a nonchemical insecticide made from orange-peel oil.

"I'm not sure how well it will work," Root said, "but I'm relieved I finally got it done."

When Root bought her house five years ago, she joined the ranks of the 60% to 80% of Southern California homeowners whose houses are infested with termites.

And because she bought her home in probate, Root had to accept it "as is," termites and all. Most buyers and sellers, however, can't close escrow without a report certifying that the home is termite-free. The report is not mandated by law, but most lenders require it before they will make a loan. (Root's lender did not).

As a result, 1.2 million termite inspections were done statewide in 1998, according to Harvey Logan, executive vice president of the Pest Control Operators of California, an industry trade group.

"At least 90% of these inspections are the result of a real estate transaction," said Donna Kingwell, executive officer of the California Structural Pest Control Board. And of those inspections, 95% show some evidence of termite infestation, either local or widespread, or a condition that could lead to a termite problem.

Booming right along with the strong real estate market is California's termite population.

"As more people move," said Vernard Lewis, an entomologist at UC Berkeley, "they bring belongings such as wood furniture and planter boxes containing termites. And as more homes are built, more wood is available for termites to feast on."

With termites taking up residence just about everywhere, your home is a fertile feeding ground.

The good news is that homeowners have an arsenal of alternative control methods, many of them nontoxic and greatly improved during the last several years.

"Concerned consumers have shown much interest in nonchemical methods of pest control," said Eric Paulsen, technical director of the pest control trade group, "so the majority of companies now offer some sort of alternative."

Those options include heating, zapping with microwaves, shocking with a device called the Electro-Gun, freezing with liquid nitrogen, even spraying with living fungi.

Companies offering these alternatives are reaping the benefits of catering to chemical-wary consumers. Jack Forster, president of Ecola Services, which specializes in alternative treatments, said his sales have increased 300% since 1991.